Coal Mine Shut Down after Leak

Monday, June 13, 2016 @ 05:06 PM gHale

Operations at a Harlan County, KY, coal mine partially shut down last week after sediment leaked into a creek.

Revelation Energy ended up cited in connection to the leak and ordered mine operations on one of the company’s permits to stop until the problem is corrected, said officials at the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources.

The Department for Natural Resources issued a notice of non-compliance to Revelation Energy for violations including water quality, method of operation and sediment control.

All mining activity on Permit 8480346 stops until the ponds that leaked the sediment end up fixed and comply with department standards.

“There’s a mine pit that’s associated with this surface mining operation,” said Linda Potter with the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources. “Basically an undisturbed berm was breached. That means some of the water was allowed to drain from the mining pit that went into the creek and it didn’t necessarily go through our approved sediment control structures.”

State officials tested the water Tuesday to see if it contains unsafe levels of minerals due to the spill. They hope to have the results of those tests shortly.

Potter said, as of Wednesday night, she was not aware of any fish or wildlife that died because of the sediment leak.